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The nomination of Robert E. Bacharach, of Oklahoma City, to be the next 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge will be considered by the full Senate after a panel cleared the selection for the second time in eight months.

WASHINGTON — Robert E. Bacharach's nomination for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals cleared a Senate committee on Thursday for the second time in eight months, setting up what could be a quick confirmation vote after months of Republican stalling.

Robert E. Bacharach

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Bacharach, a U.S. magistrate judge in Oklahoma City, without dissent, sending his nomination to the full Senate.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, applauded the committee vote and said, “I look forward to giving him my firm support when his vote comes before the Senate.”

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, said recently that he would push for a quick Senate vote on Bacharach, and he predicted there would be one.

Bacharach, 53, has heard more than 3,000 criminal and civil cases in Oklahoma's western district federal court, and he received the highest rating from the American Bar Association.

Political delay

However, after clearing the Judiciary Committee last June, Bacharach's nomination got caught up in presidential politics, as Republicans blocked votes on circuit judge nominees in hopes that Mitt Romney would win the White House and make his own nominations.

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Chris Casteel began working for The Oklahoman's Norman bureau in 1982 while a student at the University of Oklahoma. After covering the police beat, federal courts and the state Legislature in Oklahoma City, he moved to Washington in 1990, where...